Voting has now closed

Pilot, space explorer, animator and future Labour MP, but you probably know him from Britpop icons Blur. Dave Rowntree bangs the drum for Colchester.

“Colchester may not boast as many artists as some of the other cities, but music is about quality not quantity, which is why you should vote for the outsider and choose Colchester as the Most Musical City.

Colchester was home to the original punk in Twink, (aka John Charles Alder) a central figure in the 1960’s psychedelic movement with the band Pink Fairies. He later pioneered a raw approach to rhythm and blues with the Pretty Things, working with and influencing a number of major artists including Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd and Hawkwind. However, it wasn’t until the mid 90’s that Colchester’s musical heart started beating fast.

Growing up in Colchester I played in various bands with guitarist Graham Coxon. One incarnation named Seymour would become Blur and, although some might only remember the feud with Oasis, the Parklife album became a defining moment of ‘Britpop’ going triple platinum and winning  four BRIT Awards in 1992 for best album, best single, best video and best British group. Over the course of seven albums, the band left an ever-lasting mark on British pop.

Not far behind in capturing the spirit of the time was another Colchester schoolboy – Jay Kay, the brains behind Jamiroquai, who have sold over twenty million albums, spent a collective 162 weeks on the UK singles chart since 1992 and even been awarded a prestigious Grammy. Their combination of funk, soul and disco led the way for other acid jazz acts to follow, ensuring that an unfashionable corner of Essex left its mark on the 1990’s.

And while the other nominees may shout about their musical heritage, Colchester can claim a true musical history which has influenced every child. A Colchester based writer, Jane Taylor, wrote Twinkle Twinkle Little Star while another nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty is a reference to a powerful canon used in the Siege of Colchester during the English Civil War. Our triumvirate of nursery rhymes is completed by Old King Cole with “Cole’s Castle” a reference to Colchester.

Vote for Colchester and vote for a real for the city with songs with staying power as people will be humming our tune in hundreds of year’s time.”